Manor Lords: Everything We Know

Slavic Magic, an independent creator who's spent several years slumped over a drawing board and the blueprint for an incredibly ambitious medieval city-building game, has once again caught our eye. Why? Well, because three years have passed since the so-called Manor Lords first came to light, and only now, in the midst of 2023, is it prepping to grace the Steam marketplace. And while it has yet to find a concrete release date, the city-builder has essentially nailed down all the key milestones, leaving us to believe that, in light of everything, Manor Lords is well and truly on the horizon.

So, what is it, and how will it switch up the iconic realm of RTS? Or better yet, how will it rival even the most prestigious city-building games on the modern market? Well, here's everything we currently know about it. Manor Lords: what, when, and why?

What Is Manor Lords?

To put you in the frame, Manor Lords is a real-time strategy and city-building game “inspired by the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia.” In a similar vein to Age of Empires and Total War, the upcoming entry will look to provide a historically accurate portrayal of an iconic period in human history—an episode in which you will take the reins of a medieval lord and govern a bustling city ripe with trade and opportunities to evolve and prosper.

Like a lot of RTS games, the overhead objective won't necessarily be to build a community that merely survives, but thrives in any given scenario. Whatever the case, be it under the scope of a neighboring territory or engulfed in the wrath of an eternal winter, your goal, really, is to foster a community that can withstand an entire generation and all its trials and tribulations.

Story

Manor Lords begins in a similar way to many other games of its kind — with a patch of grass, and a few key resources. With acres stacked upon acres of untethered territory to explore, you will take your place as an aspiring medieval lord and lead your small village into a whole new era. To get there, however, you will of course need to develop an infrastructure that not only keeps your people in tact, but grants them the freedom to willingly evolve your realm and all its nooks and crannies.

As this is indeed a RTS game, it's fair to say that, narratively, plot points will develop based on the actions you make along the way. And while the overall objective is to transform a grassy highland into a booming medieval metropolis, most of the arcs will rely on the decisions you make and the pathways you pursue as the city's ruler.

Gameplay

Unlike a lot of city-building entries, Manor Lords boasts a gridless system—an open world in which you can build without any real limitations. In addition to being able to construct a medieval haven from scratch, players can also manage the town's resources and trade, as well as employ various units to help maintain the social system and its defenses. What's more, rulers can choose whether or not to invade other territories, or build alliances to help expand trade networks.

“Manor Lords provides a gridless city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation,” the description adds. “Building mechanics are motivated by the growth of real medieval towns and villages, where major trade routes and the landscape influenced how settlements shaped and developed.”

“From boots to barley and hides to honey, Manor Lords features a great variety of goods fitting of the era,” the pitch continues. “Materials need to be transported and processed into finished products through production chains, and you must balance the basic needs of your people against the desire to produce luxury items to ensure happiness, manufacture trade goods for export, or forge arms and armor to aid in your conquests.”

There'll be grand-scale battles, too. And as engaging with enemies is inevitable, you will of course need to rally your troops to help fortify the city walls and protect your assets. To this end, you will need to train, develop, and ultimately build an army that's capable of aiding your struggle to conquer the land. Easier said than done, surprise surprise.

Development

Slavic Magic, a studio made up of just the one developer, first announced Manor Lords back in June of 2020. Since revealing it, the studio has brought not one, but two extensive trailers to the table, and a short-term demo, which went live in 2022. According to its Steam handle, the full release will be heading to PC at some stage in 2023. It hasn't been said yet whether or not it'll come to consoles.

Trailer

Yes, there is in fact a trailer to get your hands on! And while Slavic Magic hasn't actually released any footage of the game this year, fans have been treated to a rather in-depth gameplay trailer. Need we say more? You can see it for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Going by the latest announcements, Manor Lords will launch exclusively on PC at some point in 2023. It hasn't been said yet whether or not it'll be in receipt of a console port, though if it does steer towards an Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch port, then chances are it won't be until 2024 at the earliest.

Sad news for avid collectors and lovers of all things physical media-based; there aren't any special editions to get your hands on. Or at least, there isn't yet. If Slavic Magic does bring something of the sort to the table, then the announcement is sure to be made over on its social media. Until then, you can add it to your wishlist on Steam here.

If you're planning on sticking around for the long haul, then you'll no doubt want to keep tabs on the social feed for all the latest updates here. Should anything major pop up ahead of its launch, we'll be sure to let you know all the key facts right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Manor Lords when it releases? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.